button in SafariSpraggy Loses to Quad Kings Deep in the Mystery Bounty Series Sunday Special
Only yesterday, PokerStars announced the $50 million guaranteed Anniversary Series, part of its 25-year anniversary celebrations. But before that exciting festival can take place, the $3 million guaranteed Mystery Bounty Series needs wrapping up. It only started on April 26, yet there have already been some impressive results at the PokerStars virtual felt.
Event #05, the $75 buy-in, $350,000 guaranteed Sunday Special helped kick off the Mystery Bounty Series on, as its name suggest, Sunday 26 April. Aside from the $500,000 guaranteed Main Event, the Sunday Special boasts the largest guarantee of any of the 55 mystery bounty events.
By the time late registration ended, 5,543 entries had been processed, and a $377,921 prize pool had been created. That sizeable pot yielded 843 mystery bounties ranging from $40.87 to a cool $10,000. Five PokerStars players opened mystery bounty envelopes containing $5,000 in cash, while Germany's "maniali" literally hit the jackpot, securing $10,081 in mystery bounty payments before falling in 119th place.
When the field was reduced to only two tables, all eyes were on PokerStars ambassador Benjamin "Spraggy" Spragg. The British streamer would have made a popular champion had he come out on top. Unfortunately, the deck wasn't kind to Spragg. First, he called a 10 big blind shove with pocket sevens and ran into pocket kings. Spragg flopped a set, but a king on the turn and another on the river left him nursing slightly more than a solitary big blind.
Spragg doubled in the next hand, but his attempts at spin-up ended a few hands later when he jammed from the small blind for a couple of big blinds with pocket tens, and the big blind called with queen-five. The board gave the big blind the most unlikely of eight-high straights. Spragg busted and collected $754, including bounties.
By the time the nine-handed final table was set, each surviving player had locked in at least $2,530 for their efforts. That sum steadily rose with each elimination, with Malta's "Tapiscalle?" banking $11,103 for their fourth-place finish.
British player "StueyMcCluv" fell in third for $14,863, leaving "ABatian" of Belarus heads-up against "nvrwlkalone44" of Canada. The Belarusian defeated their final opponent to become the $75 Sunday Special champion, an accolade that also came with $26,125 in cold, hard cash. The runner-up's bankroll swelled by $18,192.
Mystery Bounty Series 05: $75 NLHE Sunday Special Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Bounties | Prize | Total Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ABatian | Belarus | $3,148 | $22,977 | $26,125 |
| 2 | nvrwlkalone44 | Canada | $1,622 | $16,570 | $18,192 |
| 3 | StueyMcCluv | United Kingdom | $2,911 | $11,952 | $14,863 |
| 4 | Tapiscalle? | Malta | $2,482 | $8,621 | $11,103 |
| 5 | Odino4ka/o_O | Ukraine | $1,613 | $6,219 | $7,832 |
| 6 | ENG.Brito | Brazil | $970 | $4,486 | $5,456 |
| 7 | AlexGelinski | Brazil | $1,379 | $3,235 | $4,614 |
| 8 | SeanCarson7 | United Kingdom | $2,309 | $2,334 | $4,643 |
| 9 | Terry Meros | Germany | $847 | $1,683 | $2,530 |
The PokerStars Mystery Bounty Series continues until May 3. Two value-packed Main Events bring the curtain down on the festival; both are two-day tournaments start on May 3.
The $11 buy-in Mini Main Event guarantees a $100,000 prize pool. Those entering the $109 buy-in Main Event will play for a slice of at least $500,000. Satellites for both Main Events can be found in the PokerStars lobby, including an $11 buy-in satellite at 4:05 p.m. BST on May 3 that has at least 200x $109 seats in the pot.
